On Friday, September 6, Ceres Rail Company departed Unity yard in Cape Town for their third annual West Coast Flower Tour. For two months every year, the South African west coast erupts with wild daisies an occurrence that attracts visitors from far and wide.
The train consisted of South African Class 19D, number 3321 with one X-17 auxiliary water tanker and one container flat wagon fitted with a removable HFO (Heavy Furnace Oil) tanker.
Day one saw the train travelling from Cape Town to Graafwater. Graafwater is a tiny town in the Sandveld situated 300 km North of Cape Town. Initially established by the railways as a servicing and goods facility the town later saw further development at the hands of the local Dutch Reformed Church. In recent decades the withdrawal of the railways and decline in the local economy has led to a serious decline in the region.
Due to time constraints, I only filmed the short section between Kalbaskraal and Piketberg.
On Day two the train travelled from Graafwater to Klawer where the locomotive and coaches were turned on the wye in the Transnet Depot while passengers got transported by bus to see the flowers.
They returned to Graafwater later the same day. Day three saw the train returning to Cape Town with a water and fuel stop at Moorreesburg. I did not film day two, but returned on day three, picking up the chase on the outskirts of Koringberg.
Ceres Rail Company can be contacted at www.ceresrail.c... or via their Facebook account.
2 окт 2024
